Sushi has become one of the most familiar Japanese words in contemporary English. When was it borrowed into English?

1890s

1920s

1950s

1980s

Don't be spooked. From which language did English borrow the word poltergeist?

Dutch

Danish

German

Norwegian

What is the original meaning of the word kiwi?

Type of fruit

A New Zealander

Type of bird

Member of a wartime concert party

Which of the following is a borrowing from Italian?

Office

Macaroni

Cargo

Aficionado

There are very many familiar French words in English, but there are also some words that look and sound like French borrowings but have actually come into English from other languages. Which of these words is not borrowed from French?

Police

Rampart

Patrol

Miniature

It might be unspoken of, but which language was the word taboo borrowed into English from?

German

Tongan

Malay

Quechua

Which of these everyday words was borrowed into English from Latin?

Fork

Spoon

Knife

Bowl

Most borrowed verbs are weak verbs, e.g. post/posted, indicate/indicated. Which of the following strong verbs is a borrowed word?

Ride

Glide

Strive

Stride

Many words for types of food and drink have been borrowed into English from other languages, some of them at a very early date. Which of these words entered English earliest?

Fruit

Wine

Cake

Potato

Sometimes more than one English word can come from the same source. Which of these words is not related to the other three?

Inch

Uncia

Ink

Ounce

Some borrowed words are harder to spot than others. Which of these words was borrowed into English from another language?

Back-pack

Rucksack

Packsack

Kit-bag

The word tomato has been in English since the 1600s. Which language was it borrowed from?

Nahuatl

Portuguese

Spanish

Narragansett

It’s a traditional part of the British breakfast today, but which language was marmalade borrowed into English from?

Portuguese

French

German

Dutch

Some borrowings can be found even among very common everyday vocabulary. Which of the following is not a loanword?

Peace

War

Fight

Battle

Sometimes borrowings creep in even among the grammatical vocabulary that provides the building blocks of English. Which of the following is a loanword?

Thou

We

You

They

You got…

Etymological exquisiteness! We are in awe of your perfect score. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/feb/07/quiz-etymology-word-origins-answers">You can read all the answers and the context behind them here</a>.

Etymological excellence. If there was an impressive prize associated with this quiz, you would have just won it. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/feb/07/quiz-etymology-word-origins-answers">You can read all the answers and the context behind them here</a>.

Etymological excellence. If there was an impressive prize associated with this quiz, you would have just won it. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/feb/07/quiz-etymology-word-origins-answers">You can read all the answers and the context behind them here</a>.

Etymological excellence. If there was an impressive prize associated with this quiz, you would have just won it. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/feb/07/quiz-etymology-word-origins-answers">You can read all the answers and the context behind them here</a>.

Etymological excellence. If there was an impressive prize associated with this quiz, you would have just won it. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/feb/07/quiz-etymology-word-origins-answers">You can read all the answers and the context behind them here</a>.

Etymologically average. Not bad. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/feb/07/quiz-etymology-word-origins-answers">You can read all the answers and the context behind them here</a>.

Etymologically average. Not bad. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/feb/07/quiz-etymology-word-origins-answers">You can read all the answers and the context behind them here</a>.

Etymologically average. Not bad. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/feb/07/quiz-etymology-word-origins-answers">You can read all the answers and the context behind them here</a>.

Etymologically average. Not bad. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/feb/07/quiz-etymology-word-origins-answers">You can read all the answers and the context behind them here</a>.

Etymologically average. Not bad. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/feb/07/quiz-etymology-word-origins-answers">You can read all the answers and the context behind them here</a>.

Poor effort. It's back to basics for you. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/feb/07/quiz-etymology-word-origins-answers">You can read all the answers and the context behind them here</a>.

Poor effort. It's back to basics for you. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/feb/07/quiz-etymology-word-origins-answers">You can read all the answers and the context behind them here</a>.

Poor effort. It's back to basics for you. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/feb/05/quiz-etymology-word-origins-answers">You can read all the answers and the context behind them here</a>.

Poor effort. It's back to basics for you. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/feb/07/quiz-etymology-word-origins-answers">You can read all the answers and the context behind them here</a>.

Poor effort. It's back to basics for you. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/feb/07/quiz-etymology-word-origins-answers">You can read all the answers and the context behind them here</a>.

Oh dear. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/feb/07/quiz-etymology-word-origins-answers">You can read all the answers and the context behind them here</a>.